Recently, a Japanese netizen actually "joked" on the Internet that Chinese so poor, have you eaten watermelon?" This can give domestic netizens a whole laugh, and even friends in European and American countries know that watermelon is in China, which can be described as "opening melons everywhere".
"The water rises and the ship rises, and the rarity is expensive", why the price of watermelon in Japan is so high.
Let's take a look at why watermelons are scarce in Japan, leading to extreme differences in their perceptions of watermelons.
The first is the small amount of planting area. Japan's land area is only 378,000 square kilometers, compared with China, it is simply a grain of rice and a rooster. As a Japanese who also love to eat watermelon, due to the limited land area, the cultivated land area is naturally small, like watermelon, which needs to be planted in a large area, in their side only Hokkaido and other areas planted, planting area is a handful, compared with Chinese watermelon production areas, Japan's watermelon planting land can even be described as "precarious".
In addition, when japan grows watermelons, it pays more attention to the cultivation of new watermelon varieties, during which a lot of money and fertilizer are consumed, and the high investment in scientific and technological equipment expands the cost. For example, the development of a new watermelon variety consumes thousands of watermelons, and in order to ensure quality, it is better to increase the cost, pick the small watermelon, but also to ensure that the rest of the large watermelon can obtain enough nutrients. Under such "careful selection", the already rare watermelon has been pushed into the abyss, making the price more expensive.
It is worth mentioning that countries such as Japan and South Korea, although their own countries have small watermelon production, will not import a large amount from China. First, Japan attaches great importance to the requirements of food safety, and Japanese people like to eat their own domestic food and feel that the quality is guaranteed. Second, the policy of protecting the interests of domestic farmers in Japan and South Korea has led to obstacles to the import of watermelon. Japan is quite high in imposing import tariffs, with a 700% tariff on imported rice already high, and watermelon at 900%. In order to protect their country's agriculture and farmers' incomes from the impact, some merchants have been unable to increase their watermelon imports. Even if it is imported, under this high tariff, the price of watermelon is naturally higher.
When some netizens went to Japan to buy watermelon, they learned that Japan's watermelons in the case of relative cheapness, but also to sell to about 1500 yen, equivalent to more than 100 yuan, this is just ordinary watermelon, for some varieties of high-quality watermelon, can be sold to more than 1000 yuan, can be said to be "sky-high" fruit.
Netizens from all over the world have responded to the confused statements of Japanese netizens
Differences in Japanese policies and market price regulations and low watermelon production have led to a difference in the Japanese view of watermelon and the Japanese people, who believe that watermelon is a very expensive fruit. In fact, not only Japan, but also many European and American countries are also very expensive, but foreign netizens do not agree with what this Japanese netizen said.
A netizen from the United States commented below that when he studied in South Korea, he had a Japanese boyfriend, he loved to eat watermelon, but it was difficult to eat watermelon in South Korea, and the price was also very expensive, but when she came to China, she found that watermelon was so cheap, so she packed a few and sent it to her boyfriend in Japan, I thought he would be moved, but he was taught that he should not spend money indiscriminately, showed the boyfriend a screenshot of the payment, and the other party did not believe it, making the American netizen cry and laugh.
Netizens from other countries have also come in to "debunk rumors", a French netizen said that his country's watermelon is also very expensive, but it will not be as short-sighted as this Japanese netizen, saying that he has long known that China's watermelon is cheap, after coming to China, he found that a watermelon was only sold for 20 yuan, and wanted to pack a whole plane of watermelon to bring back.
The "world's largest" watermelon production - China
Finally, let's take a look at the Chinese watermelon that we are proud of. There are many theories about where Watermelon in China comes from. Some people say that the origin of watermelon is not China, but a fruit introduced by ancient China after sending emissaries to the western regions; Another theory is derived from the allusion that Shennong tasted hundred herbs, and legend has it that he found watermelon when tasting hundred herbs, but at that time it was not called watermelon, but called "thin melon", which means that there is a lot of juice and thin meat.
China's watermelon production is so high, the first is the wide planting area. After the introduction of watermelon seeds from the western region to China, during the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty, watermelons have been planted in large areas in the northern region, and then watermelon seeds have begun to be planted in large quantities in the southern regions, and there are watermelon planting sites in the north and south of China.
China's land area is about 9.6 million square kilometers, watermelon planting area has reached 22.769 million mu, the average annual output of china has reached 80 million tons, watermelon planting places from the north to the three eastern provinces, south to Hainan, west to Xinjiang, there are watermelon planting sites. Here we have to mention the watermelon produced in Henan, the annual output is constantly rising, and even reached 14 million tons in 2019, and the output of one province is the top three in the Americas. Some Henan netizens said that they did not eat in the summer, eat watermelon every day, eat in the morning, eat in the afternoon, and eat while watching TV in the evening.
The second is climatic reasons. Watermelon is a kind of continental climate plant that prefers high temperature, sufficient sunlight and dry air, and the climate distribution in China is more complex, but the continental monsoon climate is more significant, providing a natural superior environment for the growth of watermelon. For example, in xinjiang, the temperate continental climate makes the region drought and rainy all year round, the sun exposure time is long, and the melons grown are particularly high-quality. Similarly, Henan's temperate monsoon climate has high summer temperatures and long sunshine hours, and although the winter production is small, the summer watermelon production can be described as "rising day by day".
"Chinese poor enough to only afford watermelon", watermelon quality improvement and the development of planting technology have brought "watermelon freedom".
Finally, there are the reasons for the development of agricultural science and technology. Watermelon as a gourd family plant, is the most popular fruit in summer, not only can quench thirst and reduce heat, but also cool profits, blood sugar, diuretic effect, and sweet taste, tender and juicy, especially after ice, the taste is a must, very popular with countries around the world, the Chinese are no exception.
In 1955, Academician Wu Mingzhu rushed to Turpan, Xinjiang to carry out research on the cultivation and planting of Chinese melons, and under the continuous efforts of more than half a century, more than 30 kinds of high-quality melon seeds approved by the state were cultivated, combined with the ecological differences between the north and south of China, so that China could grow melons in all seasons, so that the whole Chinese achieved true "watermelon freedom", and then she was also affectionately known as "melon grandmother". Coupled with the improvement of farmland water conservancy, the popularization of fertilization technology and plant protection technology, China's watermelon production has risen rapidly year after year.
Therefore, as the world's largest producer of watermelon, China's price of watermelon is naturally cheap. It is understood that this summer, ordinary watermelon per kilogram of about 1.2 yuan, and even some areas dropped to 0.5 yuan / catty, although the winter watermelon is relatively expensive, but for the people, there is no "poor to eat" watermelon, so some people laughed at themselves: "they are so poor that they can only afford to eat watermelon."
Speak with caution and caution, and do not "speak in vain"
For Japan, watermelon scarcity is justified, after all, things are rare and expensive, but if you casually spread rumors, you will only expose your superficiality without reservation. The annual output of watermelon in China is the first in the world, and the second place Turkey is "willing to bow to the wind", even 20 times higher than the output of Turkey, and the watermelon planting area is also the first in the world. This fact cannot be erased, and under the evidence of such a heavy weight, I hope that this Japanese netizen will take care of himself. If you still don't believe it, you can go to China to see for yourself, China's watermelon is very sweet and delicious, and the price is attractive, after tasting it, you will definitely want to buy fifty back!
Resources
Liu Qizhen, Wang Siming, The Origin of Watermelon and Its Global Spread, 2020, CNKI
Jin Haidong and Yin Mingli, Climatic Conditions and Disaster Prevention Measures for Watermelon Cultivation, 2019, CNKI
Author: Shili Yinhong Editor: Chuan Chuan